*** Trigger Warning: Physical Violence ***
Deep in the wild untamed beauty of the Canadian wilderness, rumors slowly spread about strange sightings of massive, wolf-like creatures with snow white hair roaming the Northwest Territories. Sightings and reports of mutilated animal carcasses initially began in the depths of the Canadian Rockies. These reports expanded further and further towards populated areas. Later, headless human corpses appeared near the remote Nahanni Valley. Media coverage intensified and terrifying rumors ran wild on the internet.
The authorities assembled teams to hunt the creatures or whoever caused that cause the horrendous crimes. The hunting teams tracked the creatures throughout the Canadian wilderness, but they seemed to melt into the snow and ice. The only team that seemed to get close mysteriously disappeared.
At this time, local hunters that volunteered with the official search teams discovered an ancient structure while tracking the creatures. The ruins' peculiar architecture and materials shocked scientists worldwide. The authorities assembled a specialized team to excavate the ruins and distract the public from the increasing number of brutal deaths.
Renowned and controversial expert on archaeology Dr. Willem van Brakke was appointed to lead the excavation team. Many experts grew concerned due to rumors about his growing obsession with magic and deteriorating mental state. The addition of Dr. Helen Glowery, renowned linguist and archaeologist, to the team soothed these concerns. Accompanying Dr. Glowery was her husband Dr. Jack Glowery, a famed adventurer and zoologist, and their children Aayla and Michael.
At first, the excavation went smoothly. However, excavation workers started to go missing. Dr. van Brakke and the senior management team worked with the government to silently solve or hide the missing people cases. As the disappearances mounted, they could no longer be hidden. Progress slowed, and senior management was forced to request more workers and security personnel.
Dr. Jack Glowery moved to the hunting team to speed up the hunt. Meanwhile, security was heightened at the excavation and Dr. Helen Glowery left to petition the government for better security personnel. Aayla and Michael Glowery were left in the safety of the main excavation camp. After the Drs Glowery left, a worker accidentally discovered a hidden tunnel. The disappearances almost immediately stopped, which lightened the camp's mood.
Everyone assumed that the worst was over. Unfortunately for Aayla, it wasn't.
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Dr. van Brakke led the first exploration team into the tunnel, but returned alone. He revealed the existence of a massive underground chamber and claimed that the first team was simply too excited to leave. A second team even larger than the first one followed Dr. van Brakke into the tunnel. Mikey was one of the most excited about the discovery, but the senior managers blocked him from joining the team.
Unable to contain his lingering excitement, Mikey rambled on about the discovery for several minutes like an excited puppy before Aayla shooed him away so she could work. Time passed quickly, and the sun had long set with no word from either team. The previously suppressed unease and worry spread throughout the camp again. With no central leaders, fierce arguments broke out amongst the management team.
Determined to uncover the mystery of the tunnel, Mikey secretly slipped inside. By the time that Aayla noticed he was missing, Mikey was already long gone. Concerned that he could get into serious trouble, Aayla grabbed her gear and snuck into Site 3 while everyone was furiously debating what should be done.
At the entrance of the tunnel, large pieces of a cracked floor panel and a thick pillar were roped off to the side of a large hole. Aayla carefully descended a set of stone stairs into the darkness below. The air tasted stale, dry and a bit dusty. The simple stonework was precise yet obviously neglected after several centuries of abuse. Unlit wall lanterns of rusted metal and cracked glass appeared on the walls every so often. Aayla carefully checked for any signs of structural damage or traps as she pressed forward. She noticed several dark streaks on the ground, as if something had been dragged inside.
After walking for several minutes, the stonework suddenly became more elaborate, well-kept and spotless. Aayla had seen a lot due to her parents' work, yet she had never seen designs like the ones decorating the walls. The wall lanterns emitted a dim, eerie glow. Aayla frantically tried to get Mikey on the radio, but she only got static. Her tanned hands fiddled with her necklace to calm her nerves. The pendant seemed to glow in the light, but Aayla chalked that up to her nerves. This place gave her a very bad that she just couldn't place her finger on despite the obvious lack of danger.
As the tunnel snaked and curved, the wall lamps became brighter and the air became colder. She soon started to shiver. At some point, electronics stopped working completely. With her brother still nowhere in sight, Aayla forced herself forward. Finally, she saw a faint glow from around the last corner. An indistinct argument emerged from the distance, and Aayla stopped just before the corner to listen.
"Let the boy go! Do you really think that you can get out of here without the rest of the team discovering what you've done?" (Voice 1)
"Why?! Why didn't it work?! The validation of my theories and my life itself is so close. I passed the tests! I found the artifact! I'm supposed to claim my rightful place at the top of this world!" (Voice 2)
"Stop you crazy b**tard!" (Voice 3)
BLAM! POP POP POP!
Furious shouts and gunshots resounded out of the room ahead, followed by a bright flash of light accompanied by terrible screams of pain. Aayla rushed around the corner and into the room.
An enormous cavern stretched out before her. The air had a metallic taste and smelled a bit like burnt meat. The cavern was circular, with two rows of pillars standing in a circle around a stone stairway. Piles of what appeared to be ash lay scattered about the room.
Several people sprawled across the floor with a cackling silver haired man in the center. A couple of guns were strewn on the floor. Aayla sprinted to behind a pillar. She slowly peaked out from her hiding spot. To her horror and relief, Mikey was quietly gasping and clutching his side on the bottom of the stone stairway. Aayla darted between the pillars around the edge to get closer.
The silver haired man walked to the nearest person. The silver haired man lowly chanted an incantation. Then there was an explosive flash of crimson light with a short bestial scream. When Aayla's vision returned, all that remained of the victim was a pile of ashes. The man suddenly turned around, with a euphoric expression on his face as he gazed lovingly onto the object in his hands. It was a sphere, composed of 5 rings with a clear, reddish jewel wrapped in the center ring. Aayla realized that the silver haired man was Dr. Willem van Brakke.
A fit of coughing erupted from the staircase. Dr. van Brakke sneered and casually strolled towards Mikey. At that moment, Aayla sprinted out from behind her pillar and tackled Dr. van Brakke. She ripped the sphere from his grasp and quickly retreated up the stairs while the enraged lunatic followed right behind her, completely ignoring Mikey.
At the top of the stairs, Dr. van Brakke grabbed Aayla's ankle, causing her to fall on top of the sphere. Just as her necklace touched the jewel in the center, it emitted a strong bloody light and a black oval void rippled into existence on the top of the staircase. A violent force pulled everything towards it. Aayla clung to the stair case while Dr. van Brakke desperately grabbed the artifact. With a scream, he vanished into the void.
One of the team members managed to crawl over and drag the screaming Mikey away from the staircase. Mikey wrestled to break free in tears despite the horrible pain in his side.
"Aayla! No! We have to save her!"
Aayla lost her grip and was sucked away as well. The last thing that she heard was her brother's cries. Then everything disappeared.
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The next thing that Aayla remembered was feeling like she smashed through a glass window. A cool rush of air whipped her face before she crashed onto the hard, cool ground. Aayla began to shiver violently and wildly looked around.
In the soft light, she found that she was in a large clearing surrounded by evergreen trees. A frigid breeze whispered through the tall trees and soft grass. Two full moons, one red and one purple, lazily hung in the sky.
As Aayla tried to stand, her surroundings began to blur and spin. She felt her legs quake and her stomach heave. Aayla plopped back onto the ground with a thud. Slowly, the world stopped spinning and came back into focus. Exhaustion crept into her bones. As Aayla passed out on the grass a figure came flying through the air towards her. The world went black again and all was silent.